Cooking-retort



F. B. DONNELLAN.

COOKING RETORT.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 25, 1919.

1,396,266, Patented Nov. 8, 1921.

PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK B. DONNELLAN, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

COOKING-RETORT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 8, 1921.

Application filed. June 25, 1919. Serial No. 306,529.

a sel in which the contents of the cans are cooked by steam of high pressure, and the object is to provide such means which will avoid the loss of steam in such operation.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 is a vertical section of a portion of a cook ing retort, showing my improvement applied thereto, parts of the interior of the retort being illustrated in a diagrammatic or conventional manner; Fig. 2 is a broken vertical sectional view on the line 22 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is an enlarged vertical longitudinal section of an upper portion of the apparatus; Fig. 4 is a detail longitudinal section of a lower portion of the apparatus; Fig. 5 is an enlarged broken longitudinal section of a portion of the apparatus shown in Fig. 4:. I

Referring to the drawing, 1 indicates a retort for cooking cans 2 by high pressure steam. In said retort is a tortuous guideway 3 for containing the cans. Secured to the outside of the retort around a large hole therein, is a flanged cylinder 4:, closed at the outer end and open at the inner end where it registers with said hole. Having one 7 bearing in said closedend and the other bearing in a bracket 6 within the retort, is a shaft 7 carrying, near its ends, disks 9. Between and through said disks extend open ended tubes 11, each of sufiicient size to contain the cans to be cooked, here shown as four in number, although there maybe any suitable number.

The outer ends of said tubes are enlarged to receive, and make a steam-tight joint with, the inner ends of tubes 12, 13, likewise of sufficient size to contain the cans 2, these tubes extending into said chamber through stufiing boxes 14: so as to make a steamtight joint therewith. The upper tube 12 can be reciprocated by means of a lever 15.,

The working end of which lever is forked and engages said uppe tu e 2 etween t o 22 pivoted at 23. By means of said levers,

the plungers can be reciprocated in the tubes.

The inner end of the uppermost tube 11 is closed by a slide valve 24 operated by a rod 26 extending through a side of the retort and having a handle 27 on the outer end of said rod. The shaft 7 is turned by a gear wheel 28, within the retort on a shaft 29 extending through a wall of the retort and having a short crank handle 31, which gear wheel 28 engages a gear wheel 32, secured to the inner end of the innermost disk 9. The cans are introduced into the retort in the following manner.

The first step in the operation is to move the tube 12 by means of the lever 15 to cause the inner end of said tube to engage the outer end of the uppermost tube 11 to make a steam-tight joint therewith. Then, the valve 24 being closed, the plunger 16 in the tube 12 is moved. inward by means of the lever 17 until it is inserted in the outer end of the uppermost tube 11, then the valve 24 is opened, and the plunger is moved still farther inward to expel all the steam from the uppermost tube 11. Then the valve 2 1 is closed again and the plunger 16 is withdrawn to a position sufficiently far back to enable a suflicient number of cans to be inserted in the open side of the tube 12, then the plunger is pushed in again, advancing the cans before it, and, if necessary, owing to compression of air or steam in the uppermost tube 11, the valve 24 is opened. The uppermost tube 11 is now filled with cans. The tube 12 is withdrawn by means of the lever 15. Then the shaft7 is rotated through a sufiicient angular distance to bring a preceding tube 11, which has been previously filled with cans in the manner just described, into the lower position shown in Fig. 1. Then the plunger in the lower tube 13 is advanced by means of the lever 17 to push the cans into the tortuous guideway 3, at the same time that the upper tube 11 is filled.

Having thus described the means for introducing the cans into the cooking retorts, I i l n d scribe the means for withdrawing the same therefrom without loss of steam.

At the lower end, the tortuous guideway communicates with a tube 33 supported by uprights 34 and extending horizontally through a side of the retort, its outer end being adapted to communicate in succession with tubes 36 supported by disks 37, which are in turn supported upon a shaft 38, rotatably mounted upon a frame 39, slidable longitudinally in a guideway 41. Said tube 33 extends considerably to the rear, 01' inward, in the retort, and communicates with the guideway 3 to establish a passage for the cans from the guideway to and through the tube 33. Provided in the tube 33 is a long pusher 42, connected to a pusher rod 43, which extends through the opposite side ofthe retort. See Fig. 5. Said plunger is of sufiicient length to extend between the juncture of the tortuous guideway 3 with the tube 33, and the end of the latter tube, so that, even while the last can of a series is being expelled from the retort by means of the pusher, the inner end of said pusher can'act asa stop to prevent other cans in the tortuous guideway dropping into the tube 33.

The mode of use of the mechanism for expelling the cans is as follows: When a sufiicient number of cans have been expelled from the guideway 3 into the tube 33, the pusher 42 is moved so as, at the same time, to close the outlet of the guideway 3 and propel the cans from the tube 33 into the uppermost of the circular series of tubes 36. Then the frame 39 is moved in its slideway v41 away from the retort so as to free the end of the uppermost tube 36 from the tube 33, then the shaft 38, carrying the tube 36.

.is rotated by means of a gear wheel 44,

. mounted on a shaft 46, rotating in bearings in the frame, so as to bring another tube 36 to. the uppermost position, and then the frame 39 is moved back into place so as to cause the tube 36, which is now uppermost to make an airtight joint with the tube 33.

' The cans which were in the uppermost tube 36 are now Jushed out therefrom and the 7 pusher 1s withdrawn-to its original position,

allowing a further set of cans to enter the tube 33 from the guideway 3.

Inorder to prevent pressure of the steam in the tube 33 interfering with the operation of the device, ,1 -provide a slide valve48,

which, at the proper time, can be slidoutwardly, pasta port 49 to permit the steam in the tube 33 ,to escape. c

. The tube. 33vis perforated near its outer end,'as shown at 47, to allow the steam, which is compressed in front of the pusher. 42, to escape therefrom and prevent its.

, being "compressed and thus exerting resistance against the pusher 42. I

However, when the pusher reaches the e.X-

treme outer end of the tube it makes a steam tight joint therewith, preventing the escape of steam into the atmosphere.

, 1. In combination with a cooking retort, means for introducing cans into, or Withdrawing them from, said retort, comprising a chamber secured to the outside ofthe retort, around'a hole in the retort communieating with said chamber, said chamber being closed at the outer end and with its inner end open and registering with said hole, a shaft in said chamber, open ended parallel tubes, each of sufficient size to contain the cans, and carried by said shaft, tubes also of such size extending into the chamber. a guideway for the can in the retort, and means for rotating said shaft to move (:ne of the tubes carried thereby into registry with said guideway and another ofsaid tubes into registrywith one of the tubes extending into the chamber.

In combination with a cooking retort, means for introducing cans into, or withdrawing them from, said retort, comprising a chamber secured to the outside of theretort, around a hole in the retort communicating with said'chamber, said chamber being closed at the outer end and with its inner end open and registering with said hole, a shaft in-said chamber, open ended parallel tubes, each of sufficient size to contain the cans, and carried by said shaft, tubes also of such size extending into the chamber, a guideway for the can in the 3. In combination with a cooking retort, means for introducing cans into, or with drawing them from, said retort, comprising a chamber secured to theoutside of the retort, around a hole in the retort communieating with said chamber, said chamber being closed at the outer end and with its inner endopen and registering with said hole. a shaft insaid chamber, open endedv parallel tubes, each-of suflicient size to contain the cans, and carried by said shaft, tubes also of suchsize extending into the chamber, a guideway for the can in the retort, and means for rotating said shaft to move one of the tubes carried thereby into 1 registry with said guideway and another of said tubes into registry with one of the tubes extending, into the chamber, a slide valve closing the inner endof the uppermost tube, and means for operating-said, valve.

I. In combination with a cooking retort, means for introducing cans into, or withdrawing them from, said retort, comprising a chamber secured to the outside of the retort around a hole therein, and closed at the outer end and open at the inner end registering with said hole, a shaft in said chamber, open ended parallel tubes, each of sufficient size to contain the cans, and carried by said shaft, tubes also of such size extending into the chamber, a guideway for the can in the retort, and means for rotating said shaft to move one of the tubes carried thereby into registryrwith said guideway and another of said tubes into registry with one of the tubes extending into the chamber, a plunger in each of the latter tubes, one of said latter tubes being arranged to register with any movable tube in its lowermost position, and a guideway in the chamber also registering therewith.

5. In combination with a COOkiIlg retort, means for introducing cans into, or withdrawing them from, said retort, comprising a chamber secured to the outside of the retort around a hole therein, and closed at the outer end and open at the inner end, registering with said hole, a shaft in said chamber, open ended parallel tubes, each of sufficient size to contain the cans, and carried by said shaft, tubes also of such size extending into the chamber, a guideway for tort, around a hole in the retort communicating with said chamber, said chamber bein closed at the outer end and with its 1nner end open and reglstering with said hole, a shaft in said chamber, open ended.

parallel tubes, each of sufiicient size to contain the cans, and carried by said shaft, tubes also of such size extending into the chamber, a guideway for the can in the retort, means for rotating said shaft to move one of the tubes carried thereby into registry with said guideway and another of said tubes into registry with one of the tubes extending into the chamber, and means for permitting the escape of steam from the outer end of the guideway into the retort, while preventing it from escaping into the atmosphere.

7. In a cooking retort a horizontal tube extending through said retort, a tortuous guideway within said retort adapted to feed cans into the tube, and a pusher in said tube adapted to drive the cans through the tube and to simultaneously steam-tightly close the tube against the guideway.

8. In a cooking retort a horizontal tube extending through said retort, a tortuous guideway within said retort adapted to feed cans into the tube, a pusher in said tube adapted to drive the cans through the tube and to simultaneously steam-tightly close the tube against the guideway, and means for closing said tube after the cans are pushed through.

9. In a cooking retort a horizontal tube extending through said retort, a tortuous guideway within said retort adapted to feed cans into the tube, a pusher in said tube adapted to drive the cans through the tube and to simultaneously steam-tightly close the tube against the guideway, and a series of tubes outside said retort adapted to be successively alined with said tube and to receive cans from the same.

10. In a cooking retort a horizontal tube extending through said retort, a tortuous guideway within said retort adapted to feed cans into the tube, a pusher in said tube adapted to drive the cans through the tube and to simultaneously steam-tightly close the tube against the guideway, and a series of tubes outside said retort adapted to be successively alined with said tube, to steamtightly close said tube and to receive cans from the same.

11. In a cooking retort a horizontal tube extending through said retort, a tortuous guideway within said retort adapted to feed cans into the tube, a pusher in said tube adapted to drive the cans through the tube and to simultaneously steam-tightly close the tube against the guideway, a series of tubes outside said retort adapted to be successively alined with said tube, to steamtightly close said tube and to receive cans lieve any excess pressure in the alined tubes.

FRANK B. DONNELLAN. 

